Already Gone
by MagicallyChallenged
Summary: Originally a one shot, but open to doing more, The hardest thing to do is say goodbye to someone you still love, its even harder not saying it.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my questionable sanity, all characters belong to someone other than me, and i am truly not worht of writing for these characters, but in my fantasy land inside my head, i write for them constantly.**

**Be kind please x**

**Already Gone**

It was the hardest thing she had ever had to do, stealth was a prerequisite, sure Callie slept heavy but that was normally when she had her arms wrapped around the slender middle of her lover. Her head buried in the crook of Arizona's neck, lips still pressed against her soft porcelain skin in a kiss that lasted the entire night. Tonight they had drifted off in the usual way; light love-making followed by kisses and whispered declarations of love that gave way to the peaceful snoozing of the beautiful dark-haired goddess that lay before Arizona, hair splayed out in wavy tresses that reminded her of the true beauty that was Calliope. The peaceful, rested, safe in the warmth of being loved Calliope, who she adored more than life itself. She stopped in her tracks and took her in, sucking in a breath as a tear fell from her aqua eyes, rolling until it found its resting place on her quivering lips. She swore she wouldn't cry, knew this was for the best and so, shaking her head and biting down on her bottom lip hard enough to distract her from the amazing sight before her, she continued with her packing.

She didn't have much, a dark green towel that still clutched to the scent of citrus and mangos found in Calliopes' shampoo, a few t-shirts that still smelt like her, a Gomez CD with an overplayed second track, and an overused toothbrush that was starting to signal replacement time, filled the tiny shoulder bag she usually store under their bed after a long day at work.

She allowed her mind to wander and think of the recommended lifespan of the plastic stick, three months, this brush had been here, in Calliopes home, in her bathroom for three months and now, now it was going. She considered throwing it in the bin, but one glance at the sleeping caramel form, blending with the soft white of the sheets let her know she couldn't leave the tiniest hint of herself. She wanted it to be clean, wanted it to be a quick, clean and easy break for Calliope. At the very least she deserved to give her that.

In all their time together Callie hadn't been demanding, she hadn't asked for a thing, she gave her all to the relationship, gave her all to Arizona and in one line, one verbal spill that had fallen from her sweet little mouth, Arizona had destroyed her. She had. There was no denying that every time she looked into those muddy brown orbs she saw a sadness, one she had planted there. It never existed before the day she had revealed her need for a childless existence, it had been the single most heart-breaking thing she had ever done. She had watched as that glint in her lovers eyes had dwindled, the smile in the corner of her mouth disappearing and instead being replaced by the fake smile Callie had perfected as a defense mechanism over the years.

She had destroyed her, taken her dreams of being a mother and washed them away with the sounds of surgeries, fears that had taken years to grow into fully fledged monsters that attacked her in her sleep, standing statue like, aside the tiny coffins, and then lunging at her with every step she neared them with. She had finally resolved that, she needed to do something for Callie for once, instead of expecting her to shoulder all the pain, she took it upon herself to life and ease some of the burden the Raven haired beauty had claimed as her own.

She zipped up the bag, hands shaking and heart pounding so hard that if she wasn't a doctor she would have been afraid of it ripping right through her chest. She took another breath of air, blinking away the tears as she slung the bag over her shoulder, inching closer to the bed where she once slept soundly and letting her warm lips graze the forehead of a woman she would love, undoubtedly, forever. She refrained from allowing her hand to tuck the stray raven tresses behind Callies ear, resisted the urge to whisper three words that her heart was screaming. She knew it would be easier, for them both to just go… turning and heading towards the door, she felt her heart slip to her stomach, a wave of nausea hitting her at the finality she felt when her fingers grasped at the cold metal handle. Stepping out of the room and shutting the door her eyes were met by the disapproving stare of Christina who, instead of launching into a tirade of 'How could you do this to her?', instead just shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the sofa, a box of tissues in hand, ready for Callie the moment she woke up to emptiness.

Arizona stepped towards the door, a part of her screaming to drop the bag, run back into their room, climb back in the warm sheets, and forget any of this ever happened. Wake up to the woman she adored and admit that she was scared, scared of rejection, scared of her inadequacies, scared to live her life with her heart walking on the outside of her. The other…rational part, talked louder reminding her that she had spent the past 6 months with her heart on the outside of her, and she did a horrendous job of protecting it, in fact, it had been her own actions that had caused her heart to ache. She let a hand go to her pocket, fingering the crumpled up, tear stained piece of paper and thinking briefly before backtracking and handing it to the bleary eyed woman curled up on the sofa.

'It's hardly an explanation but It's the least she deserves…' she whispered, watching as the dark haired woman nodded slowly, hand reaching out for the paper. She never read its contents, never even let her eyes skim over the perfectly scripted lettering, the I's dotted with playful hearts. Instead she leant forward and placed it on the coffee table, sure she and Callie weren't best friends but she didn't really want to be the one to break her. Looking back up at the blonde, she nodded and as if finally released Arizona made her way to the door, her fists clenched as she held in the urge to let go of the tears that had been welling inside her for the past few hours. Once through the threshold, into the lift and finally out of the apartment building she finally let go, her whole body wracking as she gave in and let herself feel what she knew was just an ounce of the pain she had put Callie though. She stood there, the cold nipping at the skin not covered by her fitted white t-shirt, tears falling down her face and the slightest of whimpers betraying her as they passed her lips. She stood for what felt like hours, but in actual fact was minutes, before shaking her head and breathing slowly and making her way towards her own apartment, the small, brightly painted, soft furnished apartment that had barely any trace of the woman who had fastly become her life.

She stepped inside the cold room, throwing the bag into the corner behind the door she made her way slowly to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine she kept for rainy days, today having a high precipitation count despite the sun that had been shining constantly. Popping the cork and not even bothering with fetching a glass, she wrapped her mouth around the neck and gulped at the dark liquid, imagining with every mouthful she was washing away her sorrows, drowning them in a sweet mixture of inebriation. She had finished half the bottle before the tears started up again, and after polishing off the last few drops she left a numbness wash over her, walking to her room she climbed between the cold, empty sheets and closed her eyes. Arizona wasn't a praying woman, religion to her had been lost in translation but as she drifted off into a drink induced slumber the softest of prayers fell from her lips.

'Please god help her through this…'

**Okay so, that is so far, I do have another chapter of this written out, I intended for it to be a one shot originally, but I kinda saw I could get more out of my ideas, when I sat down to finally pen, or rather type this.**

**Want to know what the paper said, or just in need of another Calzona fix, Please review, it makes me giddy in the most Arizona- ish of ways, I'm talking heeleys n butterfly scrub caps here people x Thankyou x**


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope this is okay…. Eeek!**

_Her hands were tangled in blonde locks, hips grinding rhythmically into the hips of her girlfriend who lay beneath her, eyes shut; mewing in pleasure against the forceful, wanton kisses she lavished her with. She ran her hand down Arizona's side, gripping at her hip and pushing her down as she ground harder, feeling the satisfaction she craved as she was presented with the creamy expanse of Arizona's neck as the blonde stretched in satisfaction, one hand tangled in Callies raven tresses, the other cupping her breast gently, massaging in soft circles much to the Latinas delight. She allowed her lips to travel across her cheek, down her neck, stopping briefly to suck at Arizona's collarbone, the sweet taste of her perfume mixing with her own soft scent lifting onto Callies tongue and filling her with a heady aroma that made her close her eyes._

_She continued to roam the blondes' body, hands holding her down firmly at the waist as she allowed her hot breath to wash over the sensitive flesh down her side and across her stomach which was now covered in the light goose bumps that had claimed the rest of her exposed flesh. Nipping lightly at Arizona's hips, she shifted further back, a whimper of discontent falling from her lovers' lips as she ceased grinding and sat back on her knees. Taking a moment to admire the woman beneath her Callie felt the familiar wave of admiration wash over her, smiling through the agonising want she had built up during their slight session of discovery and allowing her eyes to appreciate fully the beauty she had the pleasure of calling her everything. _

_She loved everything about Arizona, her bubbly personality, her huge loving heart and mostly the way she always knew just what to say, what to do, be it a kiss that took her breath away and made her forget her troubles or a simple hug that lasted as long as it took for the pain to subside. Arizona was constant, she was reliable and strong and she was someone Callie could easily relent to, someone she had long ago relinquished control to and as she knelt above her, staring at the blonde curls splayed across the pillows, lips rose pink and puffy upon her perfect porcelain face, she knew there was a simplicity in love she was glad to have found. All imperfections were left at the door, when they were alone like this, simple love was enough._

_She felt the warmth of Arizona's hands on her arms, her voice softly willing her to lie next to her, seeing no need to do anything other than comply, Callie lowered herself next to the blonde, one hand reaching to slide underneath her small frame as she pulled her close in the embrace they found themselves fall easily into every night, her face buried in the soft tendrils of sunshine and her heart pounding until it caught the tempo being set by the blonde and gave into all too willingly._

The sound of the alarm rang through the room, muddy brown orbs widened instantly before closing in an attempt to block out the intruding rays of sun that crept like a thief through the tiny gaps in the blinds. Callie moaned slightly at the realisation of the hour she had to get ready for work, but also at the loss of warmth she felt where Arizona's shape still lingered in the pillows. She closed her eyes tight and took a deep inhale, the usual smell of pancakes hadn't snuck under her door and masque the room in the usual fruity scent, she also noticed the shower wasn't running and an instant panic took over her body.

She darted out of the sheets, and made her way to the living room not caring that her hair was about as shaggy as a woolly mammoth or that she was barely dressed. Stepping foot out of her room she paused, keeling over slightly, the sight before her eyes knocking the wind right out of her. She saw tears, sad, sympathetic and an unusually large amount of tears flowing from the normally steely gaze of Christina. No matter how thick and wavy her black hair was, there was no denying the tears cascading down the planes of her face, and even if she tried, the masses of crumpled, used tissues that surrounded her like Hansel and Gretel's markings would have called her a liar. Callie felt a sickness rise in her stomach, felt somersaults of the bad kind turning without supervised support inside and it almost brought her to her knees.

She stepped slowly towards her friend, hands clenched at her sides, shaking with a fear that she knew was about to claim her reality, a fear that would prohibit her ability to cease the somersaults and serve to further perpetuate them. She looked at Christina, neither exchanging a word, not needing to as the small glance from the Asian woman to the piece of paper that lay in the centre of the table like a precious artefact, said more than words ever could. Her mouth fell open slightly, her brows furrowed as she bent and shakily reached out for the paper, bringing it back towards her slowly she felt the deep ache in her heart as her breath finally escaped her lungs in a gasp that resounded in her flatmates ears and caused another stem of tears to fall down her face.

She shook her head wildly, willing her reality away; clenching her eyes shut tightly as she clutched the paper to her chest, wishing she hadn't woke up. Rising from the sofa, Christina played with the idea of offering a supportive hug, but solid gestures were not her forte and so instead, she inched her way towards her bedroom and left Callie rooted to the spot. For a while, silence lingered eerily like an unwanted stranger, but as the actuality finally hit her, and the light sniffles from the bedroom on the left snuck into the room, she turned on her heels and made her way back to her room.

She looked around, noticing the little things had disappeared, her hair brush lovely without the black paddle dotted in silver stars that she loved to run through her girlfriends hair on lazy days filled with warm showers and flannel pj's. Glancing at her cd stack she knew the next item that would have found its place in the dark depths or Arizona's hold all, sure enough, it was gone.

As she walked to the bathroom, still clutching the paper to her chest she finally allowed herself to break, glancing at the sink for that small item which was the first she ever initiated into their space, its absence causing her to fall to her knees gasping for breath. She gave way to the anxiety, her chest heaving as she tried to allow some air to enter her lungs, her mind screaming at her to calm down against the slow beating of her heart, as it ached in its place. A part of her was angry that she hadn't suspected to wake up this way, the other side angry that she had woken up at all, but what she never expected was to feel like she wished Arizona would have just ripped her heart out and left her numb, instead of aching with the pain she still felt at the love she had for her. She wished it was as easy as moving on, wished it was as easy as starting fresh, but even Callie, who had many people in her life pre Arizona knew that love was the one feeling that never left you. No matter how hard you willed it away, it would linger and occasionally, on days you found a little easier, you would catch a glimpse of the cause, and start all over again.

Falling to her knees she allowed her hand to move from her chest, her fingers unfurling as the familiar playful scrawl came into her tear blurred view, she sniffled and blinked before allowing her gaze to scan the blotchy rag, each legible word written on it only causing her further hurt.

_**I want you to know, that it doesn't matter where we took this road, someone had to go and I want you to know, you couldn't have loved me better, but I want you to move on, so I'm already gone…**_

With the final word, she allowed the paper to hit the floor, moving almost motionlessly to sit on the cold tiled floor, pulling her knees up to her chest before resting her head and allowing the pain to settle in. Those words were her excuse, those words were a goodbye that couldn't be verbalised, those words were and ending that couldn't begin, but somewhere deep within them, hid a tiny glimmer of hope, and Callie knew what they said about hope being the feeling you have, when the feeling you have isn't permanent. One day she knew she would find someone t share her sense of permanence, or maybe she already had.

**Okay chapter 2 done and dusted, the note Arizona left is made up of lyrics from the songs that helped inspire me to write this fic, is called Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson and I think it sums up Calzonas break up perfectly in parts. I hope you all enjoy, and yes Imma continue this one through till I get to the happy place. xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

The room is filled with the soft twinkling of a classical cd that hadn't seen the outside world since its purchasing, the sounds travelling through the rooms on a wave of air filled with the scent of garlic and paprika, weaving its way around the small groups of people dotted about the house. Some stand chatting about work; others are trying to distance themselves from the stress of it all, just glad for the feeling of normalcy that tonight has brought. The familiarity of laughter, of smiles, nights spent in the polite company of people you no longer had to compete with, a feeling of security allowing for the mood, a feeling of safety and certainty exuding from each happy face, the melodious clinking of crystal on crystal acting as background to the toasts and praise lavished around the room, now everything was back to normal.

She stood there shaking her head, her below shoulder length curls dancing in a sway that was enough to bring any man… or woman, to their knees. There was something about Callie, something about the way her hair hung loose, framing her face perfectly, those dark, muddy brown orbs at times to intense they could make you feel like falling just by looking into them, then there was her smile. She has this smile that could light up the darkest of rooms, filling the entire expanse until even those corners hidden away would shine. She didn't just smile, she radiated perfection, oozed sensuality from every pore and when she lowered her eyebrows, lids sating in a way that showed how amazingly turned on she was, dear god she was intoxicating. She stared across the room, eyes wide and full of a sorrow she had yet to let go of, it had been days, days of walking around feeling like at any given moment she would explode and those tears that almost blurred her vision would fall freely down her soft features.

She took a sharp intake of breath, her eyes not shifting, focused on the sight across the room, the vision in black with a smile so bright it would challenge any stars shine and win. Bringing her glass to her mouth, she tiled it, the dark liquid teasing over her lips and tongue before sliding in a warm trail down her throat. Her side was flanked by her knight in expensive Armani who, rather than reaching out reassuringly and comforting her the way friends do in these situations, deciding that stating the obvious was the path to go down.

'You're staring again…' he explained, sliding his hands into his pockets and glancing over to where he knew Callies eyes would be fixed, on the blonde with the loose carefree curls, and the million watt smile he could tell was clearly fake.

Callie gripped her glass with both hands, finding something to hold on to for fear of striking the man beside her, 'I'm not…' she breathed in frustration still not shifting her gaze, instead licking her lips slightly as she watch Arizona's hips sway to the gentle breeze of music.

'You want to go back to my place and do it in the shower, Teddy's in surgery tonight…' his voice calm, and collected like he was asking her if she enjoyed her lunch. She blocked out his inane comment, not even giving him the satisfaction of rising to it, but a part of her wanted to scream, somewhere inside of her a voice screamed for her to let go, it would be easy, effortless to raise her hands and beat against his chest, pounding away until every ounce of anger had been released, every scream has shook its self from inside of her and ever tear had escaped her, falling down her cheeks in black streaks of betrayal. Instead, she rolls her eyes and raises a hand in an attempt to pause the stream of verbal annoyance itching to leave his mouth.

'I'm not in the mood for your jokes right now okay…' she shot him a look, involving the typical narrowing of her eyebrows as a warning not to continue any further, she was on a delicate precipice and the slightest nudge would send her toppling. Shooting a glance back across the room, she noticed the blondes, aqua eyes light up as she giggled to a joke she had been made privy to, leaning into the woman opposite her ever slightly, one hand clutching a half empty glass of champagne, the other clenched at her side nervously as she watched in sadness as the raven haired beauty headed for the exit a pang of hurt painted on her face. She debated, as her face fell, whether to run after her, catch her up, grab her by the arms and ask her what the hell they were doing, but she knew that would only make this harder than it already was and she owed Callie a clean break, regardless of how much she missed her.

So she brought her glass to her lips once more, as the sweet fluid filled her mouth, she allowed her gaze to fall back to the woman in front of her, returning herself to the conversation , physically despite mentally having left moments ago. If she had have followed Callie, out of those huge maple doors and out into the night, she would have been met with a sight that could have possibly changed her entire game plan. She would have seen a small figure curled up at the bottom on the pathway, knees pulled to her chest as her body wracked with sobs. She would have seen the obscure view of the woman's tear stained face, covered by the sticky masses of her raven curls as she fought to catch her breath momentarily, long enough for her to stand up and make her way to her apartment.

If she would have stepped into the night, and stared for a while at the woman she once thought could be the future, she would have noticed the sliver glinting in the moonlight as the skilled fingers of the orthopaedic surgeon twisted the chain around her digits, the small pendant crushed into the palm of her hand, a sheer desperation for having it near. She would have noticed the white of her knuckles as she gripped the only existing thing that remained a symbol that there had ever been a time when they had been in each other lives. She would have seen this sight, this desperate plea for an end to her heartache and she would have given it to her, she would have taken her in her arms, kissing her desperately as whispered assertions and promises that everything would be alright, once they got home. But they both knew it was much more difficult than that, much more difficult than either of them estimated.

Instead the music continued to surround Arizona, and the bubbly liquid that her glass was crying out for more of had begun to have its effects on her, as she giggled lightly and grasped her glass, she wished she had followed Callie out of the door, outside seemed a lot less claustrophobic, she sighed and excused herself, placing her empty glass on a nearby table she made her way outside. Stopping at the porch her eyes travel down the pathway, watching as the shaking silhouette gets to her feet and with one deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling in a breath she had spent a while searching for, she turns on her heels and walks away. Taking a step at a time she debates following her, catching her up letting her fingers find Callies arm as she begs and pleads, apologises for the hurt she's feeling and asks one last time if it's something they can just brush over, but her feet have another plan, they turn her in the opposite direction, and guide her home.

It's cold against her wrist, she clutches it tightly, so hard that it leaves a mark against the palm of her hand; it's dark and angry against the soft, pallid smoothness of her skin. She closes her eyes and tightens the ball her fist has fallen into, despite the pain that shoots through her hand. She needed this tonight, needed something to hold onto… something that reminded her to be strong, that good things will happen it just takes time and as she lifts her head, turning back and taking a glance at the woman leaving in the other direction, she wonders if maybe, just maybe time would find a place for them.

**I hope you guys like this one… I'm floating about in the unknown x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay sorry this took so long, this part will be in two parts, leading up to the elevator kiss, see in my eyes that kiss was filled with not only want and longing but a need to show Callie she still loved her and thus, I write this as an explanation as to why. Please be kind x**

She didn't run home, curl on her bed and cry those actions were meant for weaker people, and no matter how much she considered letting the weakness take over, the survivor in her kicked in. Her feet tapping out her quickened heartbeat on the pavement as she steered her way on autopilot in the direction of the nearest bar. Stepping through the doors the soft music from the old jukebox in the corner filled the air along with the laughs of friendly conversations and the clinking of glasses, not a familiar face amongst the sea of smiles and head bent over glasses drowning their sorrows in three inches of whatever liquor soothed their pain. Walking over to the bar she noticed a small band set up on the stage, a guitarist with long curly brown hair covered by a beanie that hid his eyes allowing him to slip into his own world whilst playing, a drummer wearing a white beater and black baggy combat pants, spare sticks stuck in the pocket on his right thigh and at the front of the stage perched on a barstool sat a young girl, she couldn't have been older than her early twenties, Callie guessed, watching as the girls eyes scanned the crowd hopefully, searching amongst the many for the one person she could focus on during the set.

Callie watched as the girl swayed her head to the side, masses of dark brown curls swaying around her shoulders, travelling down her back to where they stopped at her waist, the occasional bright purple streak hidden amongst the tresses, a revelation of her true rebellious nature. She smiled at the bartender, mouthing her choice of drink at him before sliding onto a stool and letting her fingers pick up the cardboard coaster left out so as not to stain the already beer soaked bar. Glancing over to the stage once more she smiled as the pretty girl looked up from her microphone stand and caught her eye, acknowledging her with a slight nod of her head. Callie returned the nod and brought the crystal glass to her lips, the dark red liquid sliding down with ease, soothing the ache in her chest and bringing a calm over the feeling of nausea that was trying to push through her stomach. She closed her eyes and held the glass firmly, trying in vain to push all thoughts of the nights events from her mind, trying to forget how amazing Arizona looked in that dress, how it clung to every curve like a second skin and how she longed to find her hands resting on those hips, fingers gripping her tight as she moved close enough to peel back a strap and attach her lips to the sensitive flesh at the base of her neck. Shaking the images out of her head Callie tuned into the soft sounds coming from the band, the soothing tone of the girls' voice barely audible above the noise of the occupants but none the less it was relaxing. Watching as the girl closed her eyes tighter, sitting on her hands in an attempt to prevent nerves from being physically visible; Callie felt her heart go out to her. She sympathised with the young girl, knew all too well of the extreme reality of baring your soul, only for it to go unnoticed, dismissed before its even had chance to take route and grow and so when the final notes of their first song rang throughout the room, Callie found her hands coming together in a loud applause that made some of the other occupants take note of the entertainment for the first time that night. They played through another song, and Callie ordered another drink, her mind running through the lyrics that spilled from the girls mouth and smiling at how simple love songs seemed compared to the real deal.

'_Tell me why, you're so hard to forget…_' the girls' voice was soft and Callie couldn't help but close her eyes a vision with the purest blue eyes appearing the moment she achieved darkness. It was worse than Callie thought, she knew she adored and loved Arizona, that much was a given but what she hadn't planned on was the fact that she was so deeply in love with Arizona that there was no escape. _'… Don't remind me, I'm not over it…_' the words resounded in her head, a sadness filling her chest and working its way up to her face until the corners of her mouth were pulled down in a symbol of heartache she knew wouldn't shift for a long time. Her eyes closed, hands gripping the glass, she rocked back and forth to the sound of the girls voice, the soft delicate sound singing straight to her heart and eventually she zoned out, eyes open and focusing on the tiny bubbles in her drink, watching as the fizzled to the top.

She felt a presence next to her and threw a glance across the bar, spirals of mocha brown mixed with purple obscured her view of the singers face as she leant over the bar, elbows on the wooden surface, hands clasped together, her soothing tones ordering a drink. Catching the raven haired woman staring at her she smiled, and it was then Callie started to feel the finality or breaking up with Arizona, the smile of another person, let alone another woman only caused Callie to return the favour only seeing the smile of the brunette made her shake her head and mutter to herself before finding her place back in the confines of the crystal glass. She saw the smile fall from the girls face as she bit down on her bottom lip, blew out a breath and then let her hand wrap round the neck of a beer, bringing it to her lips and taking a small sip. Callie felt bad, she knew none of this was the girls fault, and so she turned towards her and nodded.

'You're really good…' she mouthed, not really knowing what to say, instead her fingers reached for a stirrer and placed it in the glass, watching as more bubbles appeared, knowing she had blown it she shook her head then tried again '… you have an amazing voice….' She lifted her head to the side until their gazes connected and she smiled.

'Thanks…' the girl nodded, her hair falling over her face. She reached up and tucker it behind her ear before lifting herself onto the seat next to Callie and taking a sip from her bottle '… you know whoever it is… they'll come around' she stated, turning her face towards Callie and shrugging at the confused look she was receiving '… whoever is causing you to drown your sorrows in that pitiful liquid you're calling a drink…' she teased, watching as the dark haired girls smile grew larger, nodding to herself she bit down on her bottom lip. A silence lingered between them for a short while, Callie running her index finger around the rim of her glass while the brunette blew absentmindedly down the neck of her bottle before she was called upon by the long haired guitarist, looking over at Callie she felt a sadness at the hurt that was evident on her face, a pain in her eyes that made the brunette want to take this stranger in her arms, but instead she tried to reassure her once again.

'That's my queue to get back to work…' she threw her head back towards where the band stood watching the girls interaction at the bar '… like I said, don't worry, people like you don't stay single too long…' she turned to leave when she was caught by Callies voice finding her ears.

'What do you mean, people like me…' she asked, watching as the girl lowered her head, a smile on her face as she checked out her shoes and then lifted her gaze once again, smiling as she chewed on her bottom lip and giggled lightly before nodding.

'You know… owners of beautiful smiles…' Callie saw the girls gaze fall to the floor once again, and she felt a gratefulness, in the short moments she had spent in the presence of the brunette she had managed to smile more than she thought possible considering the reality of her life right now. She felt a flush come to her cheeks as she let out a small laugh and brought her drink to her lips once again, sipping deep '… any way, I kinda have to go now, but it was really nice meeting you…' she pushed back the now empty bottle and lowered her feet to the floor again, nodding towards Callie. Walking back to the stage she shook her head muttering to herself. Callie didn't know where it came from but something inside of her yelled out to stop, and sure enough, the brunette heard.

'I never caught your name…' she shouted, watching as the girls spun back and smiled, her curls bouncing freely down her back, a smile on her face.

'That's coz I never told you it… I'm Pai…' she smiled watching as the Latina mouthed her name, tasted the way it felt rolling off her tongue, brushing against those soft lips that she always swore were meant for one name only.

'Callie… nice to meet you too' she offered, watching as the girl turned and made her way up to the stage to start again, shaking her head and mouthing something to herself as she started. As the soft music echoed around the room, Callie had decided It was time for her to leave, standing up from her seat she headed for the door, not noticing the blonde who stood near the entrance, watching the entire exchange, the same look of hurt in her eyes that the brunette had almost eradicated from Callie with such a simple interaction. She felt a pang of guilty, a wave of hurt and a slight hint of relief, the last thing she ever wanted was to hurt Callie beyond repair, and seeing her smile, even if it wasn't at her, was enough of a symbol for her to realise she hadn't completely broken her. She waited for a few minutes before following Callie out of the exit but turning in the opposite direction and taking the journey back to her own home, a parade of freshly fallen tears dripping a path to her home, that in fairy tales Callie would have followed to her, finding her, holding her and letting her know that they could be happy ever after, but this wasn't a fairy tale, this was real life. Happy ever after meant letting go, meant letting the woman she adored leave, because how selfish would she be to ask her to stay, to ask her to give up her dream. All she ever wanted was for everyone of Callies dreams to come true, and for her to get the ever after she deserved, she wanted to be Callies constant, her forever but she couldn't give her that, sometimes in life, happy endings aren't made for the real world…. Sometimes they are best left in fairy tales. Unspoiled by logic, untouched by rational thought, just pure and simple, and as Arizona reached her front door, slipping into the darkness, her back finding the door as it closed behind her and she slid to the floor, she wished just for one night, she could have had her fairy tale ending…. pure and simple.


End file.
